Chato Murciano

The Chato Murciano is a breed of domestic pig that was developed in Murcia in Spain and is the only remaining breed of pig that is native to that area. It was first developed when the Spanish found that their pigs were not meeting their standards, so they bred the Murciano with other pigs including Berkshires, large whites, Victorias, and Tamworths. This created a breed that was and is used for its bacon and meat. The Chato Murciano was named after its place of origin and its short nose.

Other distinctive features of the Chato Murciano include its small head and its black or white coloration. A group of pigs will be led by a lead pig that has a head length of about 11.2 inches. The nose reaches a length of about 4.1 inches, but will decrease in size to about 3.7 inches at twelve years of age. The most common fur color of this breed is black, although white fur is not uncommon, and some pigs have white patches of fur along the body. It is thought that these markings are a result from past breeding with Berkshire pigs.

The Chato Murciano is bred for its lean bacon and pork and is most often slaughtered at eighteen months of age after being fed a diet of local, raw materials. Because of its high fat content, this breed is known to produce high quality sausage. It was once on the verge of extinction but has recently been brought back to more sustainable population levels by government and agriculturalist intervention.